warm & foolish
by quorra laraex
Summary: In which Inuyasha jumps to conclusions once again, but Kagome doesn't mind this time. — InuKag fluff, oneshot


warm & foolish

* * *

She doesn't have her bike today, which is a tad strange to him since she was usually fond of riding it when going places here in the feudal era. But its different today and he couldn't exactly place why. Maybe it's because Miroku and everyone else decided to stay at the old hag's place and also shipped the two of them off to pick some medicinal herbs for future emergencies. He hates doing petty little jobs like so, especially when demons and extracting his sword were not involved. It's boring, he decides, and he's still hassled at the fact Naraku hasn't struck any attacks the past few days.

They're trailing off in the woods, following the stone guide way toward the field. It's when his pinnacle of thoughts come to a halt when he realizes the girl hasn't spoken a word since leaving the hut and clarifying the types of herbs to pick up. He peers at her without rotating his head, just to get a good luck at her before she finds out he's staring. It's difficult—extremely difficult—to look away once he (or anyone, rather, he thinks) catches a glance of her. It takes him utter strength to avert his gaze from her with his usual stubborn nature and grimacing scowl. He'd never tell her though. He wouldn't tell anyone. The fact that he enjoys simply looking at the damned girl would cause their peers to tease him to no end. Inuyasha would've walked straight into that endless mocking and irritation. He could be rash at times, but he isn't _completely_ foolish.

Her tanzanite focus doesn't leave her shoes or the path. Her jet black hair bounces as she walks and he's suddenly tempted to run his fingers through the soft, wavy tresses that reeked of her irresistible scent. Her finger tips fiddle with the hem of her skirt and he senses her anxiety coursing through her veins and preoccupying her mind. A test, maybe, he thinks. The thought is shot down once he remembers her relieving conversing with Sango back at Kaede's about how she "passed" an exam the day before. Then what could be bothering her?

He wants to ask, but at the same time he doesn't, because he may not like the outcome. She could tell him to sit, a simple question aggravating her and making her demand the worst; or she could give him one of those stares, the damned depressing stares, where her lips are slightly parted as she's wordless and her large eyes are soft and wet and he can't sense her gulp because he knows it's hard to swallow when she feels that way. He doesn't want to deal with any of that. She holds the power to make him terribly weak, and even if he doesn't want to ever admit it aloud, he knows it's true.

He lets curiosity eat at him until he notices her eyes shift toward the orange purple blazed sky and she releases a sigh. It hits him. It must be it. It's about Kikyo—she's feeling selfless about it, jealousy probably engulfing her. That's the case, is it not? It probably is, he's thinking.

"Hey, Kagome," he begins looking ahead of him. "I don't see her in you anymore, you know that, right?"

Her voice is not heavy nor is it light or exasperated or dull. To be frank, it's actually kind of… odd? "What're you getting at, Inuyasha?"

"Kikyo."

She nods, confused at the message he's attempting to send her out of thin air. She doesn't prod for more, but he's insisting, being the assertive ass he is.

"It's different now—it is. I don't think of her unless she only comes up now. Before, it was a mess, it was—hard, different."

He's speaking a rather lot today, she glares at him in the corner of her eyes. She's cautious of the water she's indirectly stepping into. What's he trying to do? She lets him continue, urging to find out what's on the half demon's mind. She's confused.

"You guys aren't the same person, and I know it took me time before I actually experienced the difference with you guys, but I just—"

He's rambling on and on and it's too unlike him for her to actually understand. He's even admitting past mistakes. He's _got _to have a cold or something that made him lose his mind. She sighs, "Are you feeling alright?"

"What? Of course I am," his tone becomes the usual arrogant mimic-y one she's used to.

She shoots him a strange face before she looks away blankly and crosses her arms in front of her chest, giving him the idea she's even more upset than she was in the beginning. _Cripes_, what do I keep doing wrong, his heart pounds as his thoughts continue to drive.

"Wait, what's on your mind, exactly?" He gives in. He doesn't know why she seems so upset.

She shivers. Is she nervous? "It's colder than usual."

Oh. He feels like a complete dumbass. So that's what had been bothering her this entire walk; the _weather_. It had been potentially cooler this day, but he barely noticed because he wore the same basic layers every day. He absently reaches to touch her leg, feeling how cold her skin was.

"W-what are you doing?" she flinches away surprised at his actions, and he looks at her with a nonchalant expression. "Miroku has rubbed off on you, hasn't he?"

She almost slaps him, but he's quick enough to dodge her and of course, there goes the pesky little demand. _Sit_. He face-plants to the dirt ground only to become irritated when he just wanted to find her body temperature. "Hey, I was only trying to see if you were cold or not!"

"Then you touch my cheeks or something, not feel up my thigh!"

He stammers and looks away, fidgeting silently about how red he became after her statement. He had no idea, and suddenly he feels hot in this wintery air.

Kagome: 2, Inuyasha: 0.

He always does this; make a complete fool of himself whenever he's around her. She makes him this way, happy and anxious and comforting and always, _always_ in awe. Kagome has no clue and the fact she doesn't even need to try to make him feel this way is incredible to him. It's a total mystery that he doesn't intend to find out for once. He likes it this way. He likes _her_ this way, and he always will.

They continue down the woods until he grabs her hand and clutches it in his. She whispers his name and he ignores her soft voice, grabbing her other hand and feeling her slender, smooth cold fingers. He hunches over, rubbing theirs together to ignite warmth into the cool palm of her hands. He exhales a wave of heat onto them and quietly continues to slide his own onto her lifeless palms until they feel warm enough. Afterward, he locks their fingers and stands up while the two continue to walk. He has to tug on her to continue their normal pace, because for some strange reason she's flustered. He gives her a questioning look, a scowl reappearing at his lips.

"What was that?"

His scowl deepens stubbornly. "Just something my mom taught me to keep someone warm."

She smiles, and her face give off a tint of pink. He wonders if it was because of him or if it was just the cold rubbing off. He looks off; he's not into cheesy scenes. With another tug, they start off again, both of them not having the urge to let go. And in that moment, the weirdest thing happens. She kisses him on the cheek. It could've gone off as unnoticed, but this is different. He's not used to these different feminine craves. Kikyo—she would always just plunge her lips to his or vice versa. With Kagome, every little thing they did contrasted his past relationship. It was slow, simple, urging and craving, and he isn't used to any of it, nor is he expecting any of it. He squeezes her hands and shakes the grin fighting on his face off, but the flushing is inevitable.

They forget why they're even walking out there.


End file.
